Nighttime Sparring
by SpyralHax
Summary: Sokka puts his foot in his mouth, and causes an argument on Ember Island. Suki takes advantage and pulls Zuko away, but for what reason? Not romance, at least not yet.


**Nighttime Sparring**

**Rating: K**

**Pairing: none really, but some Zuko x Suki if you squint**

**Ah, my first foray into the pairing of Zuko and Suki. Non-canonical as all kinds of hell, but it has been hijacking my mind lately, so I just had to write it. This one is not a romantic fic, per se, but there will probably be a sequel that spins off of it, which will have romance in it. The set up for this one is simple. A night on Ember Island, Sokka causes some issues between himself and Katara, allowing Suki and Zuko to head off to the beach. But for what reason? Friendship and all that stuff here, so hope you enjoy my first attempt with this "pairing".

* * *

**

"Ah, you're really good at cooking, Katara," Zuko said appreciatively as he leaned back onto his elbows, letting the last drops of melon juice run coolly down his throat. The rest of the gang roared in agreement, causing the young water bender to start blushing from the attention.

"Well, I-it's nothing, really," she said, eliciting a series of smiles from those centered around the small fire.

"That just means she'll have no trouble finding a husband when the time comes," Sokka said, the mood around the camp immediately turning more sour as he slammed his foot squarely into his mouth once again.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Katara asked in her most indignant tone, Zuko and Aang silently looking to one another with amused smirks on their faces. Even in the short time he had been a part of their group, Zuko knew that Sokka was one to watch when looking for some amusement.

"I just mean that it's the girl's job to handle all the cooking and stuff, since guys are really bad at it, you know?" he said, thinking he was smoothing the situation over, while actually making things worse for himself.

"Oh, so all a girl is good for is handling domestic chores like cooking? Maybe you should try learning how to do it for yourself," his younger sister said, crossing her arms as she turned away from the young idiot.

"Look, it's just the social order of things. Men go out and hunt for the food, animals or plants or whatever, and the women cook it up. That's why you're so good at it," Sokka said, his face set in a straight, serious expression as he spoke. Those not part of the Water Tribe looked to one another with looks of concern, listening as he stuck his foot further in his mouth, as though that were possible.

"Well maybe if you could handle it yourself at least once, then I wouldn't have had to get so good at it," Katara said, smirking a bit as she challenged his basic survival instincts as a man, hinting not so subtly that he _needed_ a girl around to handle everything for him.

"You say that like I can't cook."

"If the shoe fits, then wear it," Katara sneered, her grin turning quite superior as she sent a piercing gaze towards the tanned teen. Sokka could feel himself begin to distinctly fume, his body seemingly ready to burst into flame at the implication of what she was saying.

"Fine, you want me to prove it, I will," Sokka said, his lips curling into a smirk, like the look of a man set on a mission. Warning signals echoed in all those around the campfire, fears over Sokka trying to really cook. There was little doubt that he could toss meat on an open flame with the best of 'em, but more elaborate fare was likely beyond his grasp.

"C-come on, guys, maybe we need to calm down," Aang said, ever the peacemaker of the group, trying to get in between the two dark skinned teens. Zuko knew from growing up the way he did that it was never, EVER a good idea to get in an argument when a girl was feeling upset for whatever reason. Only bad could come of it.

"Calm down? How can I calm down when my own brother thinks that girls are only used for sex and cooking and other housework?" Katara asked rhetorically, Aang slinking back just a bit from the rise in volume of her voice.

"I'm sure that's not what he meant, Katara. I mean, you're really good at all that stuff, so it must be a little true, right?" Aang asked, his naivety seeping through as he stuck his own foot in his mouth.

"Oh, so that's how you see me, too, Aang? I guess you've been spending too much time around my brother," she said, the two boys in question looking to one another for some sort of answer, some way to get out of their predicament.

"You tell 'em, Sugar Queen," Toph said somewhat jokingly, getting extreme amounts of delight from the tense vibrations being emanated from all three involved. Katara laid into one of her sanctimonious, preachy speeches, on how everyone should carry their own weight, and how girls could handle things just as well as guys.

Zuko felt his mind begin to wander, a snicker pulling at his lips as he imagined his "perfect", capable sister trying to cook something for herself. While she had an excuse of being the pampered princess, Sokka clearly had no excuse for it, other than having his obviously more capable younger sister to handle it for him.

He listened vaguely as the three in the argument continued to yell, with Toph's boisterous laughter sounding slightly louder in his ears as she was closer to him than the two water siblings and the Avatar. So preoccupied by watching the amusing argument, he hardly noticed as the young female warrior made her way towards him.

"Umm, Zuko?" she asked, his body straightening in tension as her soft, yet strong voice sounded from his left. Turning his head, he watched as the girl stood a short distance away, the eyes of blueish green centered directly on him.

"Oh, uh, Suki, what is it?" he asked, calming his breathing from being surprisingly startled by the girl's presence.

"I was wondering if you could come with me for a minute," she said, turning away without even listening for his answer. He watched the ever so slight sway of her hips as she walked, shaking his head roughly for staring so intently at the girl's retreating form. After she disappeared off towards the beach, Zuko carefully pulled himself to his feet, dusting the little bits of dirt from his dark colored pants before heading off in the direction she had walked.

Casting one last look at the intense argument around the campfire, Zuko wondered if one of the idiots would end up seriously injured. He smirked a bit as he thought that even the closest of friends can argue from time to time. Only Toph noticed as he left the entertaining spectacle, her ears tweaking a bit as he set off down towards the beach, a curious smile on her face as she continued to listen to the two siblings argue, with Aang trying to apologize for upsetting Katara.

Zuko brushed a few stray strands of black hair from his face as he walked, the slight breeze from the sea blowing a cool, slightly salty air against him. It was a feeling he had grown accustomed to, being on a boat at sea for the long three years. He cringed a bit at the thought, imagining himself back in the single metallic room, on a metallic boat with a bunch of sailors and his uncle for company.

The soft swish of dampened sand under his feet let him know that he had reached the beach, a quarter moon shining down on the oddly empty shoreline. Looking from one end to another, the scarred teen saw no other beachgoers, quite strange for such a well known relaxation spot.

But as he looked, he did not see Suki, his brows knitting together in irritation and confusion at being called out then simply left to dry, so to speak. _'I guess all girls are crazy, not just the ones from the Fire Nation,'_ he thought to himself, sighing as he dropped into a sitting position on the sand, watching as the tide rolled up just a few feet away from his feet as they stretched out before him.

Sighing heavily, he set his golden eyes on the sea out before him, the moon glinting off of the dark surface from its perch high in the nighttime sky. He wondered to himself what could cause so much difference in the four nations, seeing that everyone shared some of the most essential aspects of life.

Everyone relied on the air to breathe, to keep themselves alive. All people enjoyed the bounty and the beauty of the ocean, the source of both food and luxurious scenery to calm the mind. Everyone relied on the very ground beneath their feet to live, to prevent the sea from enveloping them entirely, to provide steadfast support for their lives.

The only element he could not find a great reliance on was fire, the element of life and of destruction. Without fire, many great advances might never have taken place. Lighting a small flame in his hand, he watched the bright orange ball glow in the dark, dancing with each intake of breath.

While it was true that without fire, the world could come to a halt each night with no source of light to guide the way, and that essential functions such as food preparation relied on heat and flame, he still had a feeling that it was not a fundamentally essential element for the survival of humanity as a whole. The irony that such a fact could hit him, while the Fire Nation was on the verge of world conquest did not escape him and he laughed bitterly as he disappeared the ball of flame from his palm.

His silent thinking was interrupted as he heard a rustling among the treetop a short distance behind him and to the right. Natural warrior instincts set his body to a subconscious defensive posture, his warm, honey colored eyes narrowing as he scanned the beach, ready for whoever might pop out.

The young man noticed a figure drop from a perch near the top of one of the palm trees, a bit of sand kicking up as they charged directly towards the contemplative Prince of the Fire Nation. As they drew closer, Zuko could make the figure out, and realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

"Suki, what the hell are you doing?" he asked, rolling to his left as the girl sent her right foot directly towards his stomach. Once he was on his stomach, he pushed up with both arms, barely avoiding a hard punch thrown to the back of his head.

The auburn haired lady said nothing as Zuko steadied himself, hands held in front of his body in a defensive posture. Suki lunged forward, kicking up a few specks of sand as she pushed off towards the young man. The scarred teen watched her blow carefully, parrying her arm with his own hand, retreating slightly as she continued after him.

"Come on, what the hell did I do to you to deserve this?" he asked, his natural born anger increasing as he blocked or deflected harsh blows from the girl. His question seemed to anger the girl more, the fluid moves decreasing in speed but becoming more aggressive, more powerful as they continued to dance along the sandy beach.

A war raged inside of Zuko's mind as he continued to defend from the girl's vicious assault on his person. On one hand, he didn't want to hurt the girl, something he was wondering if he could manage anyway, for fear of upsetting the carefully crafted trust he had earned from the rest of the group.

But on the other hand, he had always been raised and taught to 'fight to win', something he truly enjoyed. Winning was the ultimate high, the ultimate rush, especially given how seldom the Goddess of Victory had smiled upon him. With his mind partially occupied, the girl managed to land a hard blow to his stomach, her lips curling into a vicious, yet playful smirk as she pulled away from him.

"Alright, so that's how you want to play it? You better be ready for the consequences," Zuko sneered back, tightening his fists as he shot off towards the girl. He felt a mild pleasure as the younger girl's eyes shot open in surprise, his speed and ferocity catching her off guard momentarily, her slender arms barely able to deflect his initial strike.

Bending down at the knees, Suki tried to sweep Zuko's legs out from under him, a move he had used on occasion before in his own battling. Leaping back, he avoided the kick, darting to the side as she shot back to her feet. Zuko could feel the disadvantages of fighting on the loose footing of the sand, his feet digging deeply into the wet sediment, his toes tensing at the ends of his feet in a desperate attempt to gain good footing.

But Suki seemed to somehow be unaffected by the terrain. He watched her carefully, looking for some hint that might help him gain a better advantage. Golden eyes shot open as he noticed that she was barefoot, and as he ducked under a heavy kick, he made a break for the more solid ground.

Reaching down as he ran, he pulled the light boots from his feet, discarding them before stopping, kicking up a small cloud of sandy dust as he slid along the loose gravel. Turning in place, he watched the girl's arms place themselves in an offensive position, one up next to her face while the other stretched out before her.

It was, he remarked to himself, somewhat similar to his own fire bending style. But he couldn't deny that it was quite useful as a martial art even without the additional offensive capabilities of fire. Two sets of breathing sounded between them, chests heaving from heavy exertion.

"Looks like… we're both… almost done…" Suki said between harsh breaths, each puff of air from her lips almost showing against the cool night sky. Zuko felt his confusion increase, wondering what was going on. But, he had to admit that he was having fun somehow, and a smile allowed itself to grace his features.

"Yeah. Whatever was going on, I guess… this has been kind of fun," he said, watching the girl's ruby lips pull into a mirrored smile to his own. Taking a deep cleansing breath each, they lunged towards one another, hands moving in near blurred motions as each deflected and avoided potentially dangerous strikes.

But Zuko's better familiarity with actual combat began to show through his movements, as he began to push the girl back. They both knew that she was going to lose, but she didn't want to admit it just like that. Deciding to risk it all, she kicked up a bit of sand towards the young Prince's face, her initial delight at imagining him spitting out sand dissipating as he blocked the gesture with his right hand.

Taking full advantage of the opportunity, Zuko reached out, grabbing the girl's arms as he swept her legs from under her, sending her slender frame crashing down into the sand beneath her feet. Bluish green eyes closed as the force of the impact resounded in her body, her head pounding a bit as it bumped against the ground.

"Looks like you're not quite there yet," Zuko teased, prompting her to open her eyes. She blushed a tiny bit as she noticed that he had perched himself atop her, his legs firmly holding hers in place, his right fist immediately in front of her face.

"So it would seem," she answered somewhat shyly, feeling frustration take its place as he smirked at her before rolling off of her. The girl sat up straight, rubbing the back of her head in agony as her brain seemed to be screaming at her.

"Ah, sorry about that," Zuko said, collapsing in a heap on the sand. He let his soft gold eyes drift to the sky above, watching the intense, inky darkness as it spread out in all directions above his head, the moon standing out harshly against the emptiness.

"It's alright," she said, pulling her knees towards her chest, wrapping her slender arms around the heavier limbs as she joined Zuko in watching the moon and the stars, the small lights seemingly poking through the dark shroud that encompassed the world each night.

"So, you want to explain what the point of this was?" he asked directly, watching the girl's lips curl into a sort of smile, his hands finding a perch behind his head as he watched the young lady turn her gaze back towards him.

"Well, it was just…" she began, not exactly sure how to explain her reasoning.

"Just what?" he asked, genuine curiosity getting the better of his natural politeness, something he thought that Sokka might do.

"I wanted to see if I could beat you, for revenge for what you did to Kyoshi Island," she said, a hint of sadness, mixed with anger sounding on her voice. Zuko felt the familiar pangs of guilt rise in his chest as he thought back to the incident she was referring to.

"Ah, sorry about that too. Seems like I've been apologizing non-stop for weeks now," he said, the frustration at having to make amends pushing against his chest, the doubt and mistrust all showing in his head.

"Well, you have a lot to make up for, but at least you're trying," she said, smiling gently at the older teen. She felt strange being alone with him. So many weeks and months, she had spent thinking of him as the face of her enemy, something she knew that Katara had dealt with as well.

But despite all the pain he had caused, in the name of his people, she could tell that he was honestly, earnestly trying to make up for past misdeeds. She let a sigh escape her lips before flopping back onto the sand as well, taking up a prone position next to the banished prince.

"I am trying, but I wonder if it's all for nothing," he admitted, her eyes flashing with curiosity as she turned her head towards him. Suki felt the sand as it clung to her auburn locks, but felt a twinge of pity course through her as she gazed at the forlorn expression on the face of the young man.

"All for nothing?" she asked, silently urging him to continue his line of thinking. He took a deep breath before producing one of his hands, letting a small orb of flame flicker on his palm, imitating what he had done earlier.

"It's just, I was thinking earlier, you know? About the four elements," he said, the girl nodding a bit despite not truly understanding where he was going. "All the elements are a fundamental part of nature, but it seems like fire is the only one that has no real use," he said sadly, his golden eyes reflecting the soft glow of the flame as it danced in the gentle breeze.

"What do you mean?" Suki asked, feeling her breath catch in her chest as she watched him stare at the ball of his element, the size shrinking and increasing as he breathed, keeping it perfectly round in his palm.

"It's just, all the elements have some essential function to perform, and people would not be able to live without them. But I couldn't think of anything that fire is good for, anything that absolutely couldn't be replaced with anything else," he said glumly, his frustration boiling over as the girl to his left began to laugh loudly.

"Oh, I wonder what everyone would think if they knew the Prince of the Fire Nation was worried about something like that?" she asked rhetorically, trying in vain to calm herself down as Zuko's face contorted into one of anger and frustration.

"I'm glad it entertains you so much," he said bitterly, listening as the girl's laughs slowly died down.

"Ah, I'm sorry, but you have to admit it's pretty funny," she said, Zuko rolling his eyes as he accepted the simple apology. "But it's a weird thing to think about, considering how important fire is," she said, focusing on the golden eyes as they shifted towards her, his body pulling into a sitting position as the flame in his palm disappeared.

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, you mean you can't figure it out yourself?" she asked, his expression clearly showing that he had no idea what she was getting at. "Listen, fire is maybe the most important of the elements," she said, her lips holding in a soft smile as she stared at him.

His soft, honey gold eyes seemed to ask silently what she meant, so she continued. "You know, without fire, life would have no meaning. People would just be cold and uninterested in things. Sure, sometimes it goes out of control, and we get people like, well, your family, but that's the trade off," she said, Zuko's eyes narrowing a bit as he thought about it.

"You… think so?"

"Hey, I know so. Plus, food wouldn't taste nearly as good if it wasn't cooked well," she said, channeling Sokka for a moment. The two shared a soft laugh at that, the mood between them becoming more pleasant as she comforted the young man. She thought it over for a moment, wondering why it was so natural to talk to him.

"So, why did you call me out here? And why did you attack me like that?" Zuko asked, getting back to his basic curiosity about this particular evening. Suki giggled just a bit at his question, taking a soft breath to gather her thoughts.

"Well, things are about to come to the conclusion, right? And I haven't gotten a chance to really spar with anyone lately, so I wanted to make sure my skills weren't getting rusty," she said, Zuko's brow quirking upward in curiosity.

"What about Sokka? I mean, for all you knew, I could have just blasted you with some fire, and that would have been the end of it," he reasoned, thrusting his hand out towards the younger girl to illustrate the point.

"Sokka could work, I guess, but you've seen the way he acts," she said weakly, her eyes rolling a bit despite herself.

"I guess I get what you're talking about. He'd never let anything hurt you, so there's no way to get an effective spar out of him," he said, Suki nodding her head as he caught onto her logic about the matter.

"He's sweet, and caring and all that stuff, but sometimes I want to be able to do something on my own, to push myself to the limit, ya know?"

"That still doesn't explain why you had to ambush me like that. You could have just explained the situation, and I would have helped you out," Zuko said, Suki silently shrugging her shoulders as she felt a stray wave of tide roll up around her feet, soaking them in the cold, salty water.

"I wasn't sure you'd take a girl seriously either, so I wanted to put you in a dangerous situation so you'd go seriously," she said, a dry snicker escaping her lips as a thought occurred to her. "Though, I guess you took us pretty seriously back then as well, so I shouldn't have worried."

"Well, I could never afford to take it easy just because they were a girl," Zuko muttered, a light shiver coursing through his body.

"Azula?" she asked, his head nodding gently with acknowledgement. "She is a hard lady to deal with, so I can't imagine actually sharing a house with her," Suki said, watching as Zuko's face turned to a look of distance, of sadness.

"She was always the favorite. Grandfather and father both loved her, for all that she could do, and I couldn't," he said sadly, remembering all the praise that had been heaped on the young girl, how talented she was, and how readily she had showed off her talent.

"Must have been hard," Suki said, resting her hand casually on the young man's forearm, bringing his attention from his thoughts back to the present.

"I guess so. But it helped me become the person I am, so maybe I owe her a thank you or something," Zuko replied, smiling in return at the younger teen.

"You know, I always thought you were this huge jerk, who only thought about snuffing out all the hope and what is good in the world," Suki murmured, Zuko's eyes narrowing more with each word spoken, wondering what she was getting at. "But, you're a pretty good guy after all. I'm glad you decided to join the right side," she said, smiling warmly as she placed her hands behind her head.

"Umm, thanks, I guess," he responded shyly, not sure if she was giving him a compliment or not. Looking around, he realized that it was pretty late, and that the others would probably have finished whatever argument they were doing. "Well, it's pretty late. I bet Sokka's looking all over the place for you, or assuming I kidnapped you or something," Zuko said, dusting his pants off as he stood, the wet sand squishing beneath his feet.

"I guess so. He really needs to chill out, though. But Zuko, can I ask you something?" Suki asked, Zuko silently nodding his head as he looked down at her. "How did you get to be so good at hand to hand fighting? Usually, benders focus solely on their element, and neglect the other aspects of fighting. But you're really good at it," she asked, clasping the hand he offered as help to stand.

"Well, if you ever beat me, then I'll tell you," he said teasingly, hoisting the girl to her feet on the sand. As she brushed the bits of sand from her dark red shorts, Suki gave him a frustrated look, mentally accusing him of being unfair.

"So, same time tomorrow?" she asked, looking forward to beating the arrogant Prince and getting him to share his secrets. He stopped a few steps away from her, his raven colored hair catching the glimmers of moonlight as it blew in the breeze, causing her breath to catch just a little once again.

"Only if you agree to tell me all your secrets when you lose," he teased, turning away from her before he found himself staring. As he walked back towards the abandoned vacation home, he held in his mind the sight of her slender frame against the moonlight, the darker skin and near rust colored hair almost shining in the pale light.

He listened as she hurried across the sand, taking up stride next to him. Zuko could already tell that she was thinking of how she could beat him next time, and he found himself looking forward to their next sparring match. Bending was great, and he loved his element, but there were few things more exciting than the closeness of hand to hand combat.

"Hey, where have you two been?" Sokka asked accusingly, his eyes narrowing towards Zuko as he walked up to the pair. Each looked to one another, sharing a secret smile that they knew would irritate the young warrior before splitting off, Zuko heading for his room while Suki took her place next to the dwindling fire.

Sokka failed to get anything out of his girlfriend, and so stewed about it the entire night, wondering what had happened to make them seem so friendly all of a sudden. But as the members of the heroic group slept that night, two in particular found a comfort in a newly formed bond.

And even in their sleep, they planned, hoping they wouldn't have to share their secrets after another nighttime sparring.

* * *

**First attempt, and it went longer than I originally intended. No romance, as I said, in this one, but it sets it up for future romantic entanglements. I think that these two go well together, especially after reading some good fics on this site that feature them. My next update will probably be my first attempt at Toko, then sort of alternate between Jinko, Zuki (or Suko), and Toko. Hope you all tell me what you thought of this one. Until next time, loyal fans.**


End file.
